Recently, a disease such as vitamin deficiency is very common among domestic chickens. It is a lack of vitamins B group.
For poultry, vitamins of this group are practically the most important because they contribute to the normal flow of the main life processes.
Avitaminosis decreases reproductive function (that is, the chicken stops nosing) and overall activity.
What is vitamin B1 in chickens?
Poultry farmers facing avitaminosis for the first time may well be frightened and confuse it with various dangerous diseases.
Such ignorance is very dangerous, because the improper use of medications (sometimes very strong) can further worsen the well-being of feathered pets or even lead to their death. In addition to domestic chicken from avitaminosis B1, geese, ducks and turkeys may also suffer.
This disease appeared quite a long time ago (discovered in 1935). Initially, beriberi was called "chicken fever" because they did not understand what the disease was about.
The consequences of such ignorance were deplorable and the hens mostly died from a severe eating disorder.
A cure for the disease was found by chance by an American scientist who tried to add coarse flour, bran and greens to the hen’s diet.
Then it became clear that the cause of beriberi B1 is the lack of such a substance as thiamin. Thiamine primarily affects the activity of the nervous system (hence the sluggish behavior of poultry), and later problems with the stomach appear.
It was found that thiamine itself cannot form in the body, so food must necessarily be saturated with this substance.
Pathogens
The causative agents of avitaminosis in chickens can be various microbes that have a detrimental effect on the immune system as a whole.
And immediately identify dangerous pathogens fail. Microbes need time for their disastrous effects to reach their peak.
The action of microbes consists in the destruction of beneficial vitamin compounds, as a result of which the bird will feel a strong lack of these substances, even if the diet looks completely balanced.
Worms can also be dangerous causative agents of avitaminosis.. When there are worms in the intestines, various ulcerative processes and inflammation occur. As a result, thiamine is quickly consumed and its deficiency occurs.
Symptoms
This disease is very easily confused with any other, because the symptoms are about the same. Chicken becomes very lethargic, naughty, refuses from the usual food.
A hen can sit still all day and breathe very often, which looks very strange from the outside. If you start the treatment, it is even possible the onset of paralysis.
The number of eggs will become less and less every day until the chicken stops giving eggs at all. Also need to remember about the conditions of the birds. If it is kept warm, thiamine will be consumed faster.
Treatment should be started immediately, immediately after you notice the unnatural behavior of the bird. If everything is allowed to take its course, then an even more dangerous disease can develop - polyneuritis.
In addition, there will be frequent seizures, chills, upset digestive tract. The quality of egg-laying is sharply deteriorating, and the tendency to incubate the young is lost.
Life expectancy is reduced, so if the chicken does not die from problems with digestion, it will still not live long, if this situation is not corrected and not deal with the earliest elimination of this disease.
Diagnostics
Avitaminosis can be detected immediately only if you closely monitor the behavior of chickens. The slightest difference in their behavior immediately indicates the development of a particular disease.
This disease is most often seen in autumn or early spring (as well as in humans). But an accurate diagnosis should be made by a veterinarian, he can determine the presence of all the symptoms of this disease.
Treatment
To begin treatment, it is first necessary to take care of digestion. The diet needs to be completely revised and expanded..
In addition to the usual food, you can add more and plants, fruits and vegetables grown in the garden. Avitaminosis in people is also treated in the same way, by changing the normal diet. Therefore, for the treatment you need as many different vitamins as possible.
Avitaminosis affects chicks and young animals worst of all. They begin to have a strong developmental delay, death is occurring much faster than in older chickens.
If the disease is in an advanced stage, then in order to cope with it, a single change in diet is not enough. It is necessary to apply more radical measures and introduce food additives (maybe even injection). No need to think that treatment will be quick, it should not be stopped after all symptoms have been eliminated.
One of the most interesting ornamental breeds of chickens is the dwarf Leggorn B33. You will love these cuties!Do you know that vitamin deficiency And chickens are treated very differently? Read more here.
The duration of treatment should be about six months. During this time, poultry should receive a maximum of vitamins, only then it will be possible to hope that the disease will not return next year.
Prevention and control measures
Prevention of beriberi is daily consumption of the necessary norms of vitamins.
But, it should be remembered that the body cannot fully absorb all the vitamins and even if the food is correct and complete, much less vitamins will enter the body than is needed.
Therefore you should take care of food additives. It is necessary to add oats, potatoes (can be peel), barley, green peas or beans, nettles, dandelions, wheat grains, bran, and onions in chicken food.
It should also be remembered that sunlight also provides the necessary vitamins, so the coop should always be light. If natural lighting is not enough, you can always additionally install artificial.
From all of the above, we can draw one conclusion: the proper care of the bird, the constant monitoring of its food and conditions of detention will help to avoid not only B1 vitamin deficiency, but also many other dangerous diseases. Take care of your chickens, and everything will be fine!
